


Operation Cool Guy

by iwillhaveamoonbase



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, F/M, High School AU, Modern AU, brief mention of homophobia but nothing major, no sandwiches today, rated m just because of sexual references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:36:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27888409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillhaveamoonbase/pseuds/iwillhaveamoonbase
Summary: Callum tries to be a cool guy to get new student Rayla to agree to a date with him.Inspired by a scene in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 53





	Operation Cool Guy

Callum stared at the new girl, Rayla, out of the corner of his eye. She looked good in their school uniform, long legs on full display, though she complained often about how the school wouldn’t let her wear tights underneath. It was hard not to notice her, with her almost pure white hair and striking purple eyes as well as a Scottish accent that was very much out of place in their California private school. She’d transferred for her final year after her parents moved to the States for work. At least, that was the rumor. Callum didn’t actually know.

He fidgeted with his jacket a bit. Rayla was instantly popular and surrounded by people almost 24/7. The star quarterback had asked her out who knew how many times, the last time resulting in Rayla twisting his arm behind his back and demanding he leave her alone. Due to Rayla being a senior while Callum was a junior, they only shared a mixed-level science class together. She always sounded so smart when she was called on in class.

A loud slam from Rayla’s direction caused him and everyone around him to jump. “Just leave me alone, you dick.” Her voice rang loud and clear as she refused to turn to look at the soccer captain who had, apparently, asked her out yet again.

“Rayla, I can show you a good time. The _best_ time.”

“Please,” she scoffed. “I’ve heard your exes talking in the locker room. You expect a girl to suck on your dick and refuse to lick pussy in return. No thanks.”

“It’s not sanitary,” he groused.

Callum watched as Rayla turned on him, staring at the soccer captain for a moment before laughing. “The American education system has completely failed your ass, hasn’t it? It’s self-cleaning, you idiot, and women tend to know how to find info to keep themselves clean. Also, there’s no way you’d want me because I’ve licked pussy and if it’s so unsanitary, I must also be unclean.”

“Are you…are you gay?”

Rayla rolled her eyes. “I’m Bi, thanks for asking. And you sounded really hesitant there, so let’s make something clear: I have two dads. Two GAY dads. I have zero interest in dating someone who has homophobic tendencies, so you can stop hitting on me.” 

“I’m not-”

“Don’t care. Wasn’t interested in your ignorant ass anyways.” Rayla turned back to her locker, effectively dismissing the soccer captain. Everyone watched as he stared at her, mouth agape, before huffing and walking away, grumbling under his breath. 

Callum looked down at his phone. A text from Soren had just come in, telling Callum to go with the plan and act like a tough guy with Rayla. He’d had a crush on her ever since he had first heard her introduce herself, but there was no way someone has cool and interesting as her would like him. Soren had insisted he could coach Callum and to act uninterested and all that.

Callum sighed, running a hand through his hair and closing his locker before walking over to her. He leaned against the lockers and tilted his chin to try to show-off his jawline. “Hey.”

Rayla didn’t stop going through her locker nor did she even glance at him. “What do you want?”

“Your number.”

“No.”

Callum internally winced. “I wasn’t that interested anyways.”

“Cool. We done here?” Callum didn’t have time to respond before Rayla closed her locker again and walked away. Several girls started trailing behind her, their chatter carrying through the halls. 

Callum sighed. ‘ _Strike one_.’

\---------------------------------

Callum groaned as he thought about Soren’s latest text in his plan to get Rayla to agree to go on a date with him. He’d acted uninterested, like he had an interest in typical masculine things like cars and bikes, and had even gotten detention for telling a teacher off. Rayla was still not responding to him or anyone else. Maybe Soren was wrong; maybe all girls didn’t like bad boys.

The school was almost completely empty and Callum and Rayla were sitting in detention. Callum for the teacher incident and Rayla for refusing to take off her tights and follow the uniform guidelines. She’d loudly complained in class that she didn’t think a simple pair of black tights were a problem when the girls already had to wear knee socks but it had fallen on deaf ears. Rayla rolled her eyes when she saw him there and turned away from Callum, focusing on her homework.

The teacher got up from his desk, glaring at them both. “You two better be here when I get back. I have to go talk to Ms. Smith about another one of your classmates. Delinquents, the lot of you.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be an educator if you think so poorly of us,” Rayla grumbled. Callum stifled a laugh as the teacher glared at her.

“You are an intelligent, respectable young woman, Ms. Burrows. Why are you so determined to question authority?”

“I’m Scottish and Irish. It’s what we do. People try to impose their authority and superiority on us all the time. I question stupid rules and people believing they can tell me what to do without having good reasoning beyond ‘because I said so’ or ‘that’s how it is’ and, in the case of the uniform ‘because that’s how it’s always been.’ Change is good sometimes.”

The teacher pinched the bridge of their nose and loudly exhaled. “I’ll be calling your fathers about this.”

“Ask to speak to Ethari. He’s nicer. Runaan will tear you a new one.” The teacher shook his head and left, grumbling about students refusing to behave and follow the rules. 

Callum turned to look at her. “So-”

“I’m tired of people telling me what to do. That good a enough reason for you?”

Callum shrank a bit at her blunt phrasing, looking down at his hands. “I was going to ask you out-”

“Why?”

“I…I mean-”

Rayla turned her head away, scoffing. “No, thanks.”

Callum gulped and thought back to Soren’s plan. There was no way it would work. Callum remembered his mother telling him to just be honest with others and he would be happier in the long run than if he tried to change himself to make someone else happy. “Look, I’m just trying to tell you I want to be with you.”

Rayla turned her head and glared at him. “OK? _Why? Why_ do you want to be with me?”

“Because you’re smart and cool and really pretty but not in a glamor way, but a ‘I’ll run through the woods and get dirty after climbing a tree but have fun doing it way’. You’re tough and it was awesome when you twisted the quarterback’s arm behind his back and when you flipped John for putting his arm around your shoulders. And I’m not this…cool guy who is unaffected by things. I like to draw and paint and study different cultures and languages. I know I’m not cool enough for you, but I still really like you. Your laugh makes my heart feel full and my day is a thousand times better when I get to see you or hear your voice and now I sound creepy and I’m going to shut up now.”

Callum turned away and fidgeted with his jacket. Rayla was quiet for a few moments, before finally muttering a soft ‘hey’. Callum turned back to see a strong flush on her cheeks going all the way up to her ears. “That’s the first honest thing anyone has said to me since I got here. I like you, too. You’re pretty cute and you care about people around you. When you did the ‘cool guy’ act, I thought I had misread you and I was really disappointed.”

“Really?” Callum couldn’t believe his ears. She liked him? _Him_? 

“Yeah. I’ve never seen cheekbones like your’s in person. I’ve also got a thing for green eyes, maybe.”

“So, can I get your number?”

Rayla shook her head. “You haven’t earned it yet. I’m still not happy that you pretended to be someone you aren’t just to get in my pants.”

“I didn’t-”

“OK. I believe you. That’s not what it was. But…”, Rayla bit her lip, “you still have to earn it. Keep showing me who you really are and then we’ll talk.”

“OK. Deal?” Callum held out his hand; shocked when Rayla shook it.

“Deal”

\--------------------------------------------

Four weeks later, Callum was the proud, sole person in their school who had Rayla’s private cell phone number and a week after that, they were holding hands down the hall and he was kissing her in the alcoves between classes. Soren had freaked out that honesty and being yourself had even worked but Callum was not going to question it. The most amazing girl he had ever met was giving him a chance and he had never been happier. 


End file.
